On senior guard Jolene Anderson, the preseason Big Ten player of the year:
"What’s been great about Jolene is watching her development. Here’s this kid from the middle of nowhere. She’s done everything we’ve asked her to do. I’m not sure there’s any other records she can break. But it’s never been about her. It’s always about the team, and she wants this team to have the best season ever.
"She’ll leave as the most decorated women’s basketball player in the history of the program. I think we all know that. I think she wants to leave her mark on the team’s success versus her individual success."
On what improvements she wants to see from her team, picked to finish second in the conference by Big Ten coaches and third by media members:
"Defensively, we have to get better. We have to be better defensively. We want to be among the conference leaders in defense. In order to do that, we have to continue to grow at a fast pace. The expectations shouldn’t be a secret with everybody back. I’d like to be better defensively and offensively, I’d like to have a third and fourth scorer. We’ve got two in double figures on a consistent basis. We need a third and fourth scorer in double figures to make us that much more of a weapon offensively."
On looking to her three seniors -- Anderson, guard Janese Banks and forward Danielle Ward -- for leadership on a team with seven sophomores and three freshmen:
"No question. You challenge them. Jolene and Janese are our seniors and our captains. They’re people that you rely on to get some things done. Their leadership is how they practice and their attitude and their passion for the game. That’s my job, to continue to demonstrate that to them. Then they can therefore give it to their players."
- Joe Ziemer
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